Fine-gold-saving machine.



- E. BAGLEY,

FINE GOLD SAVING MAUHINL APPL'ICATKON mm MAY 24. 911.

1,256,764. Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

INVENTOR -ment the customary screen, settles in the .are, the

' mated UNITED sTA'rEs PA .TEN T OFFICE FINE-GOLD-SAVING MACHINE,

Application filed May 24, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Row-Ann Enemy, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia,Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fine-G-old-Saving Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to recovery of fine gold from t L, sand or gravelof river bench 1 beds or of beaches, and dos" nod to supple-- groundsluicing; methods, by recovering the fine gold from the dirt in a simpleand effective manner be fore delivery of the same to the sluice boxes orother goldrecovery means.

While the machines in common use will recover ordinary fine goldconsiderable loss is unavoidably sustained ofthe line gold carried insuspension by thewater washing (whine :t'or the tl 1c gravel.

Tn the machine, which is the subject of this a g'pplicatiomtms loss isovercome by con-- tinuously delivering the wash dirt through a revolvingcylindrical screen of wirevinesh set at a slight incline within :1 tankof water which is quiescent to the extent that there is no sensible flowthrough it. The gravel as washed is "delivered to the sluice boxes forrecovery of any coarse gold, and the fine sand, washed t rough the meshof the corrugated bottom of the tank 'in which the screen rotates and.is loosened and continuously worked toward the lower end by angledblades securedto and projecting radially from the frame work of thecylindrical screen.

Free quicksilver is placed in parallel rifiles or corrugations of thetank and amalgamated plates arb distributed at intervals apart therein,so that any fine or float gold settling with the sand is recoveredduring progression of this sand to the lower end of the tank and thesand is delivered there-- from through a distributor over amalgalatesand finally over concentrating tables or the recovery of any black sandor other value carrying metals.

The important jfeatures of the invention rimary washing of the dirt insubstantially quiescent watc and the separation of the fine sand fromthe gravel before delivery of the latter to the sluiccs: the

provisionof amalgamating means Within the tank and the loosening of thesand by Specification of Letters Patent 'lS a cylindrical wire meshscreen 2 Pat-on 19.1918. Serial No. 170,757.

in 1* 1g. 5, looking in the direction oi the arrow.

3 a cross scctionon the line 3-3 in Fig. 1 looking ll] the direction ofthe arrow 3, and

Fig. 4 is a plan of the distributor.

In. tl'ese drawings 9 represents a semi cylindrical tank of corrugatedmetal, which suitably supported at aslight incline within the frame 10to which the several parts of the machine are'attached or connested.Rot-atably mounted concentric with this tank 9 and at a correspondingincline which is secured in sections "on an angle iron frame extendingbetween the ends 3 and 4 by which it is supported. One end 3 of thisscreen is centrally apertured at ,5 to receive a chute 6 through whichthe washed dirt is delivered to within the screen and this end 3 issupported on rollers 23 to rotate on the axis of the screen under theaction of a worm l7 engaging the teeth of a worm wheel secured to orintegral with the upper end 3.

The lower end 4 of the screen is supported on the outwardly proj ecting,end of a shaft 7 which passes through its center and is carried in abearing 8 on the frame 10. From the lower end of the tank 9 a pipe 11controlled by a stop-cock delivers into the ccntral basin 12 of adistributor 13, and into the upper end is inserted a water service pipe14 to replace the water withdrawn with the send. through the pipe 11.

Secured to the ends 3 and 4 of the screen where they project beyond thecircumference thereof, and to an intermediate support, if necessary,axis ofrotntion of the screen and on these bars blades-16 are secured atintervals apart to project radially to just clear the inside of the tank9. These blades are angled slightly to progress the sand gradually overthe corrugations of the tank toward the lower end.

In the lower ehd 4 of the screen are diametrically opposedcircumferentially elonare bars 15.paral1"e1 to the 35 corned, thesandLWhich passes gated apertures 18, the following sides of which inthe irection of rotation have. scoops 19 projecting into the interior ofthe screen, which divert the washed gravel from the screen into passages20 in the end. 4, which passages being separated from one anotherelevate the gravel above the level of the tank as the screen rotates anddeliver it through openings 21 onto a chute 22 for delivery into sluiceboxes for the recovery of coarser gold.

It must be distinctly understood, that, as stated in the preamble tothis specification, the machine is specifically designed for Washing thefiner sand and its contained values from the coarser gravel, and for therecovery of any fine gold from the sand so I Washed.

material to the lower end In use, the Washed dirt is delivered throughthe chute 6 to within the cylindrical. screen 2 which operates within.the tank 9 and this tank is maintained full of Water to the level of itslower upper edge. The rotation of this screen at an incline carries theduring which movement in water the fine sand with which the gravel isassociated is washed from it and passes through the interstices of the 1screen: into'thetank 9, while the Washed gravel. is withdrawn from thelower end of the scree'nthroughthe scoop outlets 18 and passagesj20,-21' and is delivered over the chute 22 tc the sluice boxes.

Y carry gold and other values As'the waterin -the tank '9 is practicallyquiescent'sofai as current or flow is conthrough. the screen and-anyfine gold or blackrsand associated with it, Will settle in the bottom ofthe tank an'dis continuously loosened by the blades 16 thati'the heaviermetal may pass through it to come in contact and be amalgarnated' with.the :free quicksilver in the riflies of the bottom of the tank, or toadhere to any of the amalgamated plates 25 dis-- posed therearound. Thesand is simultaneouslv progressed slowly by the angle of these bladestoward the lower end of. the tank Where'it may be drawn-off continuouslyor at intervals as desired, through the pipe 11 to be distributed overthe surfaceof the amalgamatingplates 23 of the concentrating tables'24to recover any escaping particles 1 gold amalgam and the black sand orthe An important feature or the invention lies in the fact that thefinesand which may is washed from the gravel, to be separately treated, and

' therefore the gold saving means suited to the recovery of fine gold,is not subjected to the scour and wear of the heavier gravel: Furarenecessarily heavier to sweep the int rior -'washed to Within the rotatabin comhi nation,

the concentration is rendered more easy of accomplishment, as theparticles of amalgam and co lect more readily than flour gold.

Having now particularly described my in.- vention, I hereby declare thatWhat I claim as new and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is:

1. A gold washing machine, comprising in combination, an elongated tankhaving, a reduced area adjacent the bottom and rifiles across thatreduced area, said tank being provided with a delivery aperture from thebottom of one end and a Water delivery adjacent the other end, acylindrical screen rotab'lc Within the length of the tank-on an axis ofrotation substantially parallel to the bottom of the tank, said screenhaving angled blades projecting outwardly from it, a chute deliveringthe gravel to be washed within the screen, means for delivering theWashed gravel from the opposite end of the screen, and means within thetank for amalgamating with quicksilver an y fine gold that may passthrough the screen, the said delivery aperture being restricted andadapted to maintain a body of pulp in the tank in contact with thescreen and the blades thereon substantially as shown'and described.

2. A gold washing machine, comprising in combination, a semi-cylindricaltank having circumferential corrugations, said tank having a dischargeaperture at the bottom of one end and a Water delivery adjacent theother end, a cylindrical mesh screen rotatably supported within the tankto be concentrio with the bottom of it, said screen having angled bladesprojecting from its outer side of the tank and "progrcss'the'cont'ntstoward the discharge aperture, means for deliverin Y gravel to be escreen, and means for deliyerin, the washed gravel from theopposite'erid o the same. said discharge aperture being restricted a 1dadapted to maintain a body of pulp in the tank in contact with thescreen and the blades thereon. 3. A gold-Washing machine, comprising asemi-cylindrical tank having circumferential corrugations, said tankbeing supported at a slight incline from the horizontal and providedWith a discharge aperture at the 'bottom of the lower end and a Waterdelivery adjacent the upper end, a cylindrical mesh screen rotatablysupported with the tank to be substantially concentric with the bottomof i t, screen having angled blades projec a it outside the screen tosweepthe inte ior of the tank and progress the cohtents toward; thelower end, means for delivering gravel to be Washed to within therotatablescreen'j means for delivering the washed ravel from theopposite end of the same, an means for 4-. A. g old. washing machine(-o1nprising in combination, it semi-cylindrical tank hau' inn(iruin'ii'el ltiul corrugiitions said tank being supported at a slightincline from the i' v r I llOllZOlliill and provided with a eontrolleodischarge aperture at qthe bottom of the lower end and a Water deliveryadjacent the upper end, a cylindrical mesh Qn'een rotatably supportedwithin the tank to e substanangled. blades projecting from its outerside to sweep the interior of the tank, means for deli'\-'ering'grave1-t0 be washed to within the rotatable screen, means fordelivering the washed gravel from the opposite end of the same, andmeans within the tank for amalgamating .any fine gold with quicksilver,said discharge aperture being restricted and adapted tomaintain a bodyof pn'lp in the tank in contact with the screen and the blades thereon.I

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

- EDWARD BAGLEY.

